Queer Theater Kalamazoo and the Kalamazoo Nature Center are collaborating on a one-of-a-kind theatrical event called the 12-Hour Play Fest, set for June 20th on the Nature Center's Vista Deck.
The format is a sprint through the entire theatrical process in a single day. At 8 a.m., six playwrights arrive and are each given actor headshots, a prop, and a theme. They have four hours to write a 10-minute play incorporating all three. At noon, directors and actors join them to rehearse, and at 8 p.m., the finished works are performed before a live audience. Connar Klock, artistic director of Queer Theater Kalamazoo, describes it as "a really fun and playful way of doing theater."
The event grew out of an unexpected outreach. Ezra Montero, Programs Coordinator at the Kalamazoo Nature Center, says she reached out to Queer Theater Kalamazoo last fall while searching for ways to bring live performance to the property. "As soon as I saw their mission, saw some of the things that they'd worked on in the past, I knew that they were the only ones I'd want to work with," she says. For Montero, the appeal is rooted in place-based art — work that is created on-site and organically connected to its surroundings. "These will be plays that are inherently connected to here, to our habitat, to the beautiful glacial topography of Kalamazoo," she says. "I just love the idea that this is art of the land."
Klock adds a deeper dimension to the collaboration, noting that queer people are often told they exist outside of nature. "An event like this helps us reclaim that sense of natural identity — that nature is just as diverse and we are a part of nature as humans and therefore we ourselves are diverse," they say.
Rob Oakleaf, COO of the Kalamazoo Nature Center, echoes the sentiment around inclusion. The Nature Center has recently expanded trail accessibility with new all-terrain wheelchairs available free with reservation, and has implemented a policy allowing anyone to call ahead and have admission waived for cost. Actors can still sign up to participate at queertk.org, with a small stipend and two meals provided. The audience performance is name-your-price — cash or card — with seating for approximately 80 on the Vista Deck. Full event details are available at queertk.org and naturecenter.org.
The interview was summarized by Claude AI and edited by the author.
